Bad news continues to pile on for the Washington Redskins, as wide receiver Leonard Hankerson was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. He suffered a torn lateral collateral ligament in the Redskins’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11. Hankerson was establishing himself as a viable second option at wide receiver behind Pierre Garcon. Someone else will have to shoulder the receiving load in Hankerson’s absence.

That someone is wide receiver Joshua Morgan (above), who will return to Washington’s starting lineup. As fate would have it, Morgan’s return will come in a nationally televised matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football”. Morgan, a Washington, D.C. native, spent his first four years with the 49ers before signing a five-year $12 million contract with the Redskins before the 2012 NFL season. It seemed like an ideal situation for Morgan to receive a huge contract to play for his hometown team.

With the Redskins’ record sitting at an abysmal 3-7, the perfect scenario would be for Morgan to have a monster game against the 49ers. Morgan would go wild, becoming Washington’s go to receiver while catching multiple touchdown passes. Morgan’s exploits would lead the Redskins to victory over the 49ers on the national stage that is “Monday Night Football”.

Unfortunately, the above-mentioned scenario is more like a pipe dream than reality. Morgan’s tenure in Washington has been marred by inconsistency. It got to the point where unheralded wide receiver Aldrick Robinson was getting playing time ahead of Morgan, reducing him to fifthon the receivers’ depth chart. Morgan has been returning punts this season, but has been unspectacular doing so, averaging seven yards per return on eight returns.

Morgan is turning out to be a free-agent bust for the Redskins, who are all too familiar with free-agency signings that don’t work out. Considering that NFL contracts are not guaranteed, it’s hard to justify keeping Morgan’s hefty salary on the roster for much longer. Nevertheless, the Redskins’ inconsistent offense needs some sort of spark to turn their season around. Washington hopes that Morgan provides that spark, because his Redskins’ career could depend on it.